** This event has now passed**
It was held on Saturday 25 November 2017, 13:00-15:30
at The Beaney House of Art and Knowledge
18 High Street, Canterbury, Kent CT1 2RA
The place of religion in British people’s lives is changing – and changing fast. Around half of the population- some 24 million people- say they have no religion, whilst many others are now exploring religious, spiritual and existential questions outside of traditional religious settings. If religious belief is not disappearing per se, it is certainly transforming – and to understand it we need to consider not only what beliefs are being lost, but also what new beliefs people are finding through these dramatic processes of change.
Belief, Lost and found: The Understanding Unbelief cafe will explore what it means to be an unorthodox believer – or ‘unbeliever’ – in these changing times. How do people chose to identify their beliefs, how do they make sense of life? How do they mark out important moments like birth, marriage and death? And, as Britons, how are our beliefs really changing?
The Understanding Unbelief programme at the University of Kent is bringing together humanities and social science researchers to explore lost and found belief across the world. If you’re not sure how you identify yourself, or you’re an ‘unbeliever’ who wants to explore more deeply what this means, join us for an afternoon of interactive activities and talks about the beliefs of unbelievers and other unorthodox believers. Participants will be invited to share and discuss their own experiences of (un)belief, and then learn more about our research from leading experts in the field.
The event is free but we ask you to book tickets through the Being Human website here
All participants are also invited to join us from 3:45 onwards for the annual Nonreligion and Secularity Network public Lecture. This year Professor Abby Day of Goldsmiths, University of London will present on ‘Ancestor worship amongst today’s unbelievers’.
The Unbelief Café is part of the 2017 Being Human Festival. This year’s festival is taking place nationally 17 – 25 November 2017. Being Human is led by the School of Advanced Study, University of London in partnership with the Arts & Humanities Research Council and the British Academy.